Black and White magazine Portfolio Contest issue

Has anyone here seen the latest B&W Magazine Portfolio Contest issue? The HDR fascination has managed to find its way into this publication as well - a shocking number of winners were comprised of desaturated HDR images, frequently over-sharpened to the point they no longer looked like photographs, nor do they look like something the eye would see. They look like pencil sketches, but not in a complimentary way.

To offer some praise along with my damnation, I would like to also point out there were some excellent images obviously taken on film, and some excellent images of indeterminate origin.

Although I have yet to see this issue, I share your dislike for HDR with a passion. While I have no real issue with shooting B&W with digital or desaturating for that matter, I am sometimes horrified at the amount of manipulation. Why, if you have a good image, and a lot of them are, do you have to max out everything in Photoshop?
I still buy Black and White Photography magazine, the UK one, as they still do run a lot of good articles. The magazine you mention is very expensive here in Australia so I give it a miss.

In principle, yes, but in practice to the commonly understood definition of the term, no.

Ken

"When making a portrait, my approach is quite the same as when I am portraying a rock. I do not wish to impose my personality upon the sitter, but, keeping myself open to receive reactions from his own special ego, record this with nothing added: except of course when I am working professionally, when money enters in,—then for a price, I become a liar..."

I think it's self explanatory. The use of the ZS is to alter tonal values to improve an image. 99% of the HDR images I've seen use the technique because it exists. I can't think of a single over-manipulated HDR image I've ever seen, which wouldn't have been better left alone.

I think it's self explanatory. The use of the ZS is to alter tonal values to improve an image. 99% of the HDR images I've seen use the technique because it exists. I can't think of a single over-manipulated HDR image I've ever seen, which wouldn't have been better left alone.

If HDR is used correctly it is used to do exactly the same thing, improve the tonal/colour range of the image.

The over manipulation of images using the software available now is one of the main reasons I have decided to use digital only for a pocket record where I need something quickly and leave film based images for something worth recording and printing using a wet darkroom. I have just spent 2 hours printing 5 small prints of nothing in particular but I had more fun doing it than sitting hunched up in front of a computer screen